Despite what you’ve heard from social media, fitness magazines, or self-proclaimed fitness gurus, if you really want well-developed and sculpted toned arms, you’ll need to strength train. This means you need to start using dumbbells, resistance bands, medicine balls, and perform bodyweight exercises! More importantly, don’t be afraid to go heavier!

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2. Long, lean muscles can only be achieved through yoga and pilates

What many don’t realise is that stretching exercises don’t actually alter the length of your muscle. Resistance training allows you to strengthen the muscle and give it more “shape”; curves are nothing more than combination of lean muscle and a low body-fat percentage. Due to the hormonal and muscle fibre differences between men and women, any worry of accidentally hulking up is extremely misplaced.

NEXT: Women ought to lift light weights for high reps for “toning” →

3. Women ought to lift light weights for high reps for “toning”

A crazy-high number of reps doesn’t really help to build muscle, despite of the “burn” they tend to bring. Muscle hypertrophy depends on three things: muscle damage, mechanical tension and metabolic stress. Simply put, you want to lift a challenging load for a challenging number of times in an environment that challenges your ability to recover – you’ll want a weight that’s heavy enough to bring you close to failure on your last rep and set!

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4. Only “girl” versions of exercises should be attempted

If the exercise needs to be scaled down to suit your fitness level, then do it. But don’t let gender be the deciding factor as there’s nothing around that says that strength training is “men only”. Don’t be afraid to perform the full version of an exercise, especially when you’re physically capable of doing so. Neither should you be ashamed of doing modified versions of exercises until you have developed the required strength and skill.

Many women avoid compound exercises because they’re harder to do. Compound exercises use multiple muscle groups and help to develop your overall strength and athleticism, all of which aid in fat-loss while giving you a lean look. You can follow-up on each compound exercise with an isolation exercise if you feel that certain areas are lagging behind.

NEXT: Women ought to avoid strength training and stick to cardio →

By Clayton Teo, Urban Remedy, April 2017 Urban Remedy delivers a tailored, personalised wellness experience. No matter your age, ethnicity, budget or where you are in your wellness journey, we are here to help. We are your healthiest relationship.